Paul LePage on Welfare & Poverty

Give people in need a hand up; don't give unneeded hand-outs

The state of Maine plans to reinstate work requirements for food stamp recipients, part of a broad effort by Republican Gov. Paul LePage (R) to reform what he has characterized as the state's unhealthy reliance on welfare.

Maine has for years taken
advantage of a federal waiver of work requirements for food stamp recipients. [Now LePage's] policy change would affect an estimated 12,000 residents who collect roughly $15 million in benefits, paid for by the federal government.

"People who are in
need deserve a hand up, but we should not be giving able-bodied individuals a handout,'' LePage said. "We must continue to do all that we can to eliminate generational poverty and get people back to work. We must protect our limited resources for
those who are truly in need and who are doing all they can to be self-sufficient."

LePage has set his sights on broad welfare reform. This spring, he introduced a four-bill package aimed at reducing fraud in welfare payouts and encouraging job-seeking.

Maine grew at 0.8% if we discount federal welfare payments

LePage includes Social Security among 'welfare' programs. He also puts Medicare and jobless aid in that category while arguing that Maine's personal-income ranking would be better if such federal payments were excluded.

The federal data put Maine's
personal-income growth at 0.5% in the first three months of 2014, well below the national rate of 0.8%. One of the biggest reasons cited for the low ranking was Maine's refusal to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

LePage, however, said
that Maine's net personal earnings increased by 0.8%. The governor arrived at his number by excluding what the federal bureau calls "personal current transfer receipts": payments from the federal government for Social Security, Medicare, unemployment
benefits and Medicaid expansion. Maine is one of only four states (IN, TN and WY are the others) where transfer receipts declined this year. LePage said he chose not to follow the federal bureau's definition because it conceals welfare benefits.

Maine's TANF welfare system is too generous

Gov. LePage announced that he will seek changes to the state's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program in order to avoid millions of dollars in federal penalties that he said result from a welfare system that's too generous. Democrats said the
problems in the TANF program are not new and that LePage is highlighting the issue now to bolster his image as a welfare reformer.

According to LePage, the state could be liable for up to $13 million in federal fines for not meeting national TANF
guidelines from 2007 to 2010, though that amount can be reduced if Maine takes quick action. At issue is that the state did not meet federal requirements for the number of TANF recipients who were working while receiving benefits. "We must fix this Maine
law in order to comply with federal law," said LePage. "Maine is overly generous in allowing a wide variety of exemptions from the work requirement, which are not recommended by the federal government, making it impossible to meet federal standards."

End welfare-on-day-one: No instant eligibility for benefits

Maine is one of just a few places in the country that offers "welfare-on-day-one," for legal non-citizens. Our budget saves $20 million by eliminating instant eligibility for welfare benefits and sends the message that work
and independence are what is expected of everyone in Maine. Our budget also includes a true five-year time limit on welfare eligibility and incentives to help move people from dependence to self-sustaining employment.